Between next week and the following month, the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will present four programs, each with a different guest conductor. These will involve debuts of both conductors and soloists, as well as return appearances. Specifics are as follows:
April 18–20: According to my records, Karina Canellakis made her last visit to the SFS podium in May of 2022. On that occasion she led the ensemble in two large-scale full-ensemble compositions, the first of which was devoted entirely to Richard Strauss’ Opus 35 tone poem “Don Quixote.” This time she will present two further Strauss tone poems, each of which will serve as an “overture” to music by Maurice Ravel. The program will begin with the Opus 20 “Don Juan,” followed by Maurice Ravel’s piano concerto for the left hand, commissioned by the pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm during World War I. The intermission will be followed by Strauss’ Opus 24 “Death and Transfiguration,” which will introduce Ravel’s “La Valse,” which has its own connotation of death, particularly in the choreography created by George Balanchine.
April 25–27: Spanish conductor Gustavo Gimeno made his SFS debut in November of 2021. He has prepared a decidedly imaginative approach to the usual overture-concerto-symphony structure. Indeed, I would go as far as to say that each of the three offerings will be a journey of discovery for many, if not most, sitting in the audience. The overture will be one of the movements in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Opus 55, music composed for the second part of the film The Great Citizen. SFS Principal Viola Jonathan Vinocour will then be the soloist in William Walton’s viola concerto. As a reflection on the overture, the symphony selection will be Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 44, his third symphony in C minor, which was based on music from his opera The Fiery Angel.
May 10–12: This overture-concerto-symphony structure will see two SFS debuts. Both the conductor, Marta Gardolińska, and cellist Pablo Ferrández will be playing in Orchestral Series concerts for the first time. The program will begin with what may be the first of the orchestral compositions by Grażyna Bacewicz, completed in 1943 and entitled simply “Overture.” Ferrández will the follow as the soloist in Edward Elgar’s Opus 85 cello concerto in E minor. The program will conclude with Felix Mendelssohn’s Opus 56 symphony in A minor, his third, known by many as the “Scottish.”
May 16–18: Ryan Bancroft will make his SFS debut leading a program that will feature two premiere performances. The first of these was be the United States premiere of “Alaraph ‘Ritus des Herzschlags,’” composed by Unsuk Chin on an SFS commission. Joshua Bell will then return to Davies as soloist in a performance by Henri Vieuxtemps’ Opus 37 (fifth) violin concerto in A minor. The second half of the program will begin with another SFS debut, Kevin Puts “Earth.” By way of an “elemental parallel,” the concert will then conclude with Claude Debussy’s “La mer” (the sea).
Each of the above dates is hyperlinked to an SFS Web page through which readers can be informed about ticket prices and availability, as well as support for online purchases. In addition, there will be an Open Rehearsal on Thursday, April 25, for the program prepared by Gimeno. This special behind-the-scenes experience begins at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and complimentary doughnuts, followed by a half-hour introductory talk at 9 a.m. The rehearsal itself begins at 10 a.m.; and, of course, the pieces rehearsed are at the conductor’s discretion. Admission will be free for those holding tickets for one of the three concert performances. For others general admission is $35 with $45 for reserved seats in the Premiere Orchestra section, as well as all Boxes and the Loge. Tickets may be purchased online through a separate event page. All tickets may also be purchased at the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office. The entrance is on the south side of MTT Way (formerly Grove Street), located between Franklin Street and Van Ness Avenue.
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